David Cameron in US for official visit

UK Prime Minister David Cameron was in the United States this week to meet President Barack Obamas as part of an official visit.
The first day was relaxed enough as the two world leaders went to a ball game and ate hot dogs while the President pointed out the finer points of the game to David Cameron.

A press conference and State dinner were all part of the official trip but there were no major announcements regarding policy as a result of the official visit.  Following the press conference, David Cameron and Barack Obama met for talks with Afghanistan highly likely to have been on the agenda and on Thursday David Cameron - along with wife his Samantha - visited a memorial to the victims of 9/11.

Many see this as a reaffirmation of the United States-United Kingdom special relationship although others do not like this term and prefer to call it an essential relationship.

Pictures on the White House website show the PM and the President and their wives stood on a balcony waving to the crowds that were there to greet the British Prime Minister while a notice declares it a 'rock-solid relationship'.

Speaking at the State dinner last night President Obama said:

"As I said this morning, this visit also gives us an opportunity to return the gracious hospitality that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, as well as David and Samantha and all the British people showed us during our visit to London last year.  And I know Michelle looks forward to returning.  Because, as she announced yesterday, she will be leading the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics in London."

...But in moments like that, and in all of our interactions -- including today -- I’ve learned something about David.  In good times and in bad, he’s just the kind of partner that you want at your side.  I trust him.  He says what he does, and he does what he says.  And I’ve seen his character.  And I’ve seen his commitment to human dignity, during Libya.  I’ve seen his resolve, his determination to get the job done, whether it’s righting our economies or succeeding in Afghanistan."

President Obama sings the blues

Come November, President Obama may be singing them for real but in a recent event held at the White House, the President was in a happy mood and his upcoming battle for a second term seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he joined a celebrity-filled audience for an evening of classic Blues music.

The White House: Red, White and Blues evening was held as part of Black History Month; Blues legend B.B. King and Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger were among those attending the start-studded event.

And it would be Mick Jagger that would pass Obama the mic so that he could the President could try the audience to a few lines of "Sweet Home Chicago".  Pictures of the event show Obama and his wife looking happy and relaxed; it appears that a good times was had by all.

However the evening wasn't all about entertainment and Obama made a stirring speech about the origins of Blues music and its humble beginnings.  During the speech, Obama said:

"---as we celebrate Black History Month, the blues reminds us that we’ve been through tougher times before -- that’s why I’m proud to have these artists here -- and not just as a fan, but also as the President. Because their music teaches us that when we find ourselves at a crossroads, we don’t shy away from our problems. We own them. We face up to them. We deal with them. We sing about them. We turn them into art. And even as we confront the challenges of today, we imagine a brighter tomorrow, saying, I can do it, just like Muddy Waters did all those years ago."

As for the verdict on the President's singing, one reporter declared it "not bad" but perhaps Mr Obama should not give up the day job just yet.